Christmas comes to Montgomery County this weekend

Christmas festivities can be found all around Montgomery County this weekend with a tree lighting ceremony and parade scheduled Friday at Norman and a host of events in Mount Ida Saturday.
The inaugural Norman Christmas Tree Lighting will take place, Friday, December 4.
The event will begin with a parade at 4 p.m, followed by the lighting of the Christmas tree at 5:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by Ligon Oil. There will be a 20 ft tree, giant inflatable snowman, giant inflatable santa, games for kids, live music, a live “Grinch”, and a live Santa.
Saturday’s events kick off at the Ouachita Artist Gallery with their annual Christmas party. It will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude around 3 p.m.
The Mayors of Mount Ida, Oden and Norman will host the second annual Mayors’ Christmas Party Saturday, December 5, from 2-5 p.m. at the Montgomery County Courthouse Square.
The event is meant to give everyone in the area an opportunity to come together and celebrate the holiday season. The afternoon will be filled with games and activities for young and old alike with most games free of charge.
Kids 12 and under will have plenty to do, while there will also be activities for those 12-18 years of age.
Events include face painting, Christmas Bingo, football toss, basketball toss, marshmallow toss, a mailbox toss, an ugly sweater contest, a musical walk and a ring toss. There will also be a caroling contest for groups from two to six members.
Santa Claus will be on hand for children to visit with and have their photos made. There will also be face painting, bouncy houses and a youth basketball toss. The popular reindeer food booth will be back this year as well.
There will be a drawing for adults to give away gift certificates donated by local businesses.
Willy the Clown will be at the party and everyone is encouraged to bring their cameras to get pictures of all the fun.
There will be hot chocolate and cookies for everyone as well.
The annual Christmas Parade will follow the party.
The Mayors’ Christmas Party is sponsored by the mayors of the county and is made possible by the many gift certificates and cash donations from area merchants and individuals.
The Montgomery County Fair Board will host a Winter Wonderland Pageant at 6 p.m. Saturday at the county fairgrounds. There are categories for ages from 0-21, as well as a ladies division.